Tissue MicroArray Core Lab

Clinical Care Considerations

As the PI on the project it will be your responsibility to ensure that there is sufficient tissue remaining for clinical purposes.

As guardians of the patient’s tissue it is our responsibility to ensure that clinical care is not compromised. In an effort to ensure that the department maintains sufficient tissue for future patient care needs, the tumor repository will maintain a log of all tissue arrays constructed. We also maintain a log of all other institutional requests for tissue.

Services

The Tissue MicroArray facility at Mass General pathology offers tissue arrays of 2-, 3-, 5-, and 7-millimeter core sizes. Our current capacity is approximately 12 tissue arrays per month.

Price List

TMA Price List as of 1/30/2018

How to Order

Before submitting a request we ask that you review the following guidelines.

• Complete a TMA request form and include a cost center number.
• Specify core size, and provide us with a control blocks specific to your study.
• Fill in the surgical pathology numbers on the grid (We will provide you with a blank grid.) If required, we can help you lay out the cores.
• Please specify the number of sections you require.
• Mark the corresponding slide with an appropriately sized circle i.e. a 2 mm circle for a 2 mm core.
• Please ensure that the block closely matches the slide. If not, a fresh H & E helps us orient the block, and ensures that the appropriate tissue is cored. Our technician will contact you if he/she cannot orient the block.

Do remember that a significant amount of tissue is lost every time a block is refaced. We may not be able to construct TMAs from tiny tissue fragments, particularly those from trucut and endoscopic biopsies.

Once a paraffin block is created, the block will be handed over to histology. A designated technician will cut unstained sections. The TMA block will then be returned to you.

Coring of Archival Blocks Policy